


One Day Together

by Finntendo



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Just enough for a bit of Fluff, Not too much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-08-12
Packaged: 2020-08-19 13:37:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20210647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Finntendo/pseuds/Finntendo
Summary: Instead of fighting and making everyone uncomfortable to get them to stay separate, Alm and Celica do Not That. Though they're still going to completely different ends of the continent but hey at least they now have a day to hang out and be cute and lovey dovey together before being sent off to Suffer.(So yeah basically an AU sorta thing for if Alm and Celica didn't fight at the end of act 2 and we instead get to see them actually interacting as a couple before the literal end of the game cause hey they're heading in the complete opposite directions for act 3 anyway Idk why y'all didn't just let Geography rip them apart for you)





	One Day Together

The sun gleamed through the oversized windows, cascading the regal bedroom in a morning glow. Within the bed, beneath countless layers of blankets and pillows, something stirred. Slowly, with a bit of planning and persistence, Alm managed to unburrow himself from the cozy tomb he had been imprisoned in the night before, no doubt the handy work of Celica. As he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he fondly reminisced of the night before, sure he had managed to help liberate Zofia from Desaix’ forces, but such an ordeal paled in comparison to the elation he felt upon seeing Celica again after what felt like a lifetime apart.  
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On the other end of Zofia’s castle, the sound of a minor explosion could be heard echoing through the halls. Various members of both Alm and Celica’s company traced the sound back to the kitchen and threw to doors open to be greeted by thick smoke and, to the shock of many and yet no one, an absent minded Celica slowly working away at some manner of recipes while the castle oven, as well as herself, much less slowly began to burn away.

“Celica what the hell are you doing?!” Mae screamed with a mixture of terror and bewilderment.

“Oh! Good morning Mae! I didn’t realize you were all awake already.” Celica responded, as cheery as ever. “My apologies for helping myself to the kitchen, I’ll try to finish up fast and get out of your way everyone. I’m sure you’re all hungry too!” She was quite literally on fire.

Despite the paralyzing bafflement everyone had fallen victim to, Celica returned to her work, while periodically patting out the various embers on her messy clothes. After what felt like hours, Celica finally seemed to be done. She had managed to attract quite a crowd, curious as to what she could have possibly been making that took so long and needed so much… fire power. Battered, bruised, burned, and yet beaming with a pride to surpass the gods, Celica dramatically whipped around to reveal…

A stack of 3 misshapen pancakes and a single charred sausage link.

A swift breeze from an open window was the only sound that pierced the deafening silence. Lukas quickly spoke up on behalf of everyone. “A fine job I’m certain, Lady Celica." He said with polite uncertainty. "Though there are castle chefs and servants who can tend to such things for you.”

Celica carefully placed her masterpiece atop a carrying tray and looked over her shoulder to the group. “Yeah I know.” She said with a shy smile. “But I thought it would be nice to make something special for Alm, especially after what an eventful day he had yesterday.” With that she calmly picked up the tray and, with as much of a dignified air as she could muster, bounded through the kitchen doors in the direction of Alm’s bedroom.

“Wait lass!...” Saber stuttered to get out. “Be careful… not to… trip…” He trailed off.

The group of onlookers was left confused yet in awe at whatever they had witnessed. Clair soon perked up. “Oh how positively romantic!” She fawned, sparkles in her eyes. “That Alm is one lucky young man.”

“I wouldn’t speak so soon.” Boey interjected. “I’ve had Celica’s cooking and he’ll be lucky if he isn’t bathroom ridden the rest of the day.” Boey chuckled to himself, earning quite the earful from Mae to the amusement of everyone left in the kitchen.  
______________________________________________

Alm was in the process of finishing getting dressed for the day when he heard a knock on his door. "Who is it?" he responded while struggling to properly adjust the upscale clothes he had been provided with for his time in the castle.

The door slowly began to open as Celica poked her head through the doorway, grinning from ear to ear. "Good morning sleepy head!"

"Celica!" Alm beamed. He almost tripped over himself as he jumped from the bedside to greet her.

She proudly presented the tray carrying her handiwork to Alm. "With how much you tend to sleep in, I figured I'd have enough time to whip up a little something for Zofia's newest hero!"

"Celica I..." Alm felt dumbfounded by her kind jester. As well as confused as he was fairly sure pancakes weren't supposed to be so lumpy, but it didn't matter. "Thank you so much! But you didn't have to go through the trouble for me." He finished, taking the tray from Celica and beckoning her to sit with him on the edge of the bed.

"Oh you!" she blushed, head in her hands, "It was no trouble at all!" It was.

Alm took a bite of the pancakes, they were crunchier than he expected. Celica seemed pleased that he appeared to be enjoying them. He swallowed, which requires a bit more effort than he'd care to admit, and turned to her. "So..." He started, as enamored as they still were with eachother after all this time, they still had quite a lot of catching up to do.  
______________________________________________

"Y-You fought a dragon?!" Alm nearly choked trying to express his disbelief.

Celica giggled, "It's easier than you'd think, if you have the right tools that is." She smugly waved her hand infront of Alm, a spark of some manner of holy aura engulfing her palm. "But even dragons seem a bit mundane compared to fighting war mongering doppelgangers."

"Heh, yeah." Alm groaned with a forced smirk. "We were so damn close. Who'd have though someone like Desaix would have an identical twin." He muttered with defeat.

"I'm surprised there could even be someone just as ugly as him in this world." Celica joked.

The both of them laughed, something they had dearly missed from the other. Alm wrapped his arm around Celica's shoulder, enticing her to snuggle up against him.

"So... You have one day before the Deliverance marches to Desaix' fortress to finish him off." Celica questioned, their cheerful conversation taking a somber turn.

"Yeah..." Alm retorted, matching her serious tone. "But that just means we'll have to make the most of today!" He ended on a much higher note.

Celica quickly looked up at his proposition. "Are you sure? Don't you have some sort of preparation to undergo with that Clive fellow?"

Alm looked at her and chuckled heartily. "I'm sure he can manage for one day without me!"

Celica's smile grew to the point it looked like her face would split in half if it were any bigger. "A-Alright!" She fumbled to get out as she excitedly jumped from the bed. "Just give me a bit to get ready and I'll meet you in the castle courtyard Alm!"

"Don't worry their's no rush!" He cheerfully responded to his ecstatic love. "Just be careful not to run too fast and get yourself hurt!"

Celica exaggeratedly scoffed at Alm's heinous accusation, earning a quick laugh from the both of them before Celica dashed away, leaving Alm alone once again. He quickly put a hand to his mouth to stifle another chuckle as he deeply blushed at how adorable Celica could be.  
______________________________________________

Alm sat in the castle's entrance hall, watching people go by as he waited for Celica to return. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, feeling somewhat ridiculous dressed in such prestigious clothes, though Clive had been very insistent that Alm dress fitting for the royal palace he now resided in. He was snapped out of his thoughts of Clive's nagging him and his friends on how to look and act by a tap on the shoulder.

"Thinking about something?" Celica questioned. Alm quickly stood up, a bit flustered at having been caught so lost in thought. "N-Nah, just daydreaming is all." Alm fumbled even more now that he managed to take a real look at Celica, her ragged clothes from earlier replaced with a flowing sundress that Alm couldn't help but think fit her perfectly as she beamed with excitement for the day ahead of them.

"W-Well then..." Alm attempted to regain his composure as he offered Celica his hand. "Shall we begin our... um... date?" He couldn't help but feel nervous at the last word. After all, this was the first real date he had been on. He and Celica running off to pick fruits and poke at bugs in the mud as kids probably didn't count. Celica locked her fingers with his and turned to him, smiling warmly. "I would love to, my dear." Both of them turned red as the sun and burned even hotter.  
______________________________________________

Despite the bloodshed from the day before, the capital of Zofia had quickly resorted back to its usual form, a bustling hub of merchants, street performers, and game filled tents. With intertwined hands, Alm and Celica weaved through the crowds on their quest for fun and excitement. Alm suddenly felt himself be dragged to a screeching halt, Celica had stopped frozen in her tracks.

Wide eyed, she dragged a confused Alm with her to a colorful tent that had caught her eye. Upon coming closer, Alm immediately knew what had completely consumed Celica's attention. In the tent stood a young woman, her red hair tied in a ponytail that hung from the side of her head. Behind her on the wall were various different kinds of stuffed animals, ranging from birds and dragons to dogs and, the source of Celica's attention, cats.

"Welcome love birds!" The woman began. "Step right up and see if you have what it takes to win a prize! All you have to do is use this bow to shoot the target!" Celica immediately began digging into her coin purse, "How much per shot?" She blurted out in her frenzy. The woman held a finger to her cheek with a smug grin as she thought. "Hmm, normally it's 20 marks per shot, but I'll be damned if you two aren't the cutest couple I've seen in my time here in Valentia, so I'll give you a half off discount just this once!" Celica giggled somewhat embarrassed at the woman's compliment as she handed over her payment.

The woman pushed a button from behind the counter and various targets popped up behind her that swayed back and form from the gear powered mechanism. She handed Celica her bow and a toy arrow. She took a deep breath and readied her stance, Alm had never seen her look so focused and fierce before. Celica slowly drew the bow, her eyes burning with determination, and she released the arrow from its notch, sending it flying forth. Directly into the woman's forehead and knocking her off her feet.

"O-Oh Gods I'm so sorry, ma'am!" Celica panicked. The woman, as lively and professional as ever rose back up, the same smugness as before. "You've got a hell of a bow arm there love, you one of them war priestesses? I'm sorry to say though that you used up your shot. And have gotten zero points." Celica's heart sank at her slip up, but she would not be deterred.

The merchant took a few large steps back to stay clear of the unusually large range of Celica's bow, and for good reason. The cycle of Celica firing and missing repeated itself, seemingly without end. By what Alm believed to be the twenty seventh attempt by Celica, he may have lost count, he decided it'd probably be best to step in. Celica, on the brink of tears, relinquished the bow to him, peaking the interest of the merchant, who until now had been hiding from Celica's endless barrage.

"Oh what's this? Not gonna let your girlfriend have another go?" The woman jabbed, her venomous intent undermined by her playful demeanor. Alm, knowing full well that this woman would likely take the clothes off Celica's back if it came to it, responded with an equally sickeningly sweet tone. "Oh well it looked like so much fun I just had to give it a try!"

The woman smirked, clearly doubting his ability to even match Celica let alone surpass her. It was true, Alm had never really handled a bow before, but as he prepared himself, he glanced over his shoulder at Celica, she was staring at him with such hope, such unconditional belief that he could do it. He couldn't possibly let her down.

Alm planted his feet, pulled back the bow string, and as he released it was as if time came to a stop. There was nothing in the world besides him and his target.

Bullseye.

The arrow landed exactly where Alm had hoped. Right between the eyes of the cocky merchant, knocking her clean off her feet.

While she was getting back up Alm quickly leapt over the counter, grabbed the biggest cat toy he could see, dropped a decently sized sack of coins next to the woman, no doubt a payment for both the plushie as well as his criminal activity, and leapt back over, scooping up Celica as well, and running as fast as his legs could take him.

Celica couldn't help but laugh like a maniac at Alm's panicked expression accompanied by the loud profanities of the merchant behind them.  
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The two fugitives finally came to a stop after ducking into an alley several blocks away, the both of them out of breath. Celica from cackling to the point that one might question her sanity, and Alm for more obvious reasons. "Of all the things I expected from today..." Celica began between lingering giggles. "Finding out my boyfriend was a master thief certainly wasn't one of them!" She joked.

Alm smiled as he carefully let her down, an awkward but earnest laugh escaping him as he caught his breath. "I figured she'd probably end up with a fatter coin purse by the end of it anyway. May as well have cut to the end, right?" He chuckled, handing the now frazzled plushie to Celica. She smiled, holding it to her forehead, a large, regal lion, covered with red fur and an impressive mane. "Well I am honored that you would go to such lengths for me." She pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, earning a soft gasp from a now flustered Alm.

The three of them shared a tender moment together, until the silence was broken by a loud rumbling sound. The both of them went as red as the lion, Celica tried to break the now awkward silence with a bit of a joke. "D-didn't you eat only a couple hours ago?" She stuttered to get out, knowing full well she made the same noise as him. Alm laughed, "A life of crime works up quite an appetite I guess."  
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The three of them made their way into a nearby tavern to find something to sate their mood killing hunger. At the bar was a large man with short brown hair and a notably leaner man dressed in purple, Celica immediately recognized the two of them. "Valbar! Leon!" She ran up excitedly behind them.

"Why hello there priestess!" Valbar chuckled in a booming voice. "What brings a classy young woman like you here?" Leon followed up in a snarky but playful manner. "I'm here on a da-" Celica choked up at the word date and turned pink. She silently grabbed Alm by the arm and yanked him closer, hopefully signifying to the two that she was there with him.

"It's... It's nice to meet you two!" Alm spoke up. "My name is Alm, Celica has told me a lot about you two and how you helped her stop Barth and his pirates." He offered a hand to them as a gesture of good will. "You have my deepest thanks for looking out for the people of the Novis Islands as well as Celica.

Leon's mouth curled into a devilish smirk, realizing the context of their presence. "Well it is nice to meet you as well, Alm. But pay us no mind, we don't want to interrupt you two lovers." Alm and Celica almost shot up where they stood at Leon's words. "Th-Thank you Mr. Leon..." Celica tried to speak politely despite how flustered she was. "We h-hope you two have a nice time as well!"

Alm and Celica hastily walked over to an open table to avoid another embarrassing remark. Looking back at them over his shoulder, Alm could see Valbar chastising Leon a bit for trying to get a rise from them.  
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Some time had passed since their quick chat with Valbar and Leon. Alm and Celica had told eachother more little stories of their adventures and made jokes with eachother as they waited for their food to arrive. When it finally did arrive, it looked as though the two young warriors had ordered everything on the menu and then some.

They began digging into their food without a care in the world. Alm biting chunks of meat from the bone, Celica stuffing her face with fruits and pastries, their appetite didn't even seem human. Amongst the various foods they had purchased was a container of thin chocolate sticks. Curious, Celica picked it up.

"I don't believe I've ever seen chocolate made like this before." She began. "The server recommended it, she said it was..." Alm coughed a bit as he nervously spoke. "It was a good treat for... couples." He had to look away as he said the words from embarrassment. Celica's eyes widened, before turning to a more confused look.

"Wait how is it for couples? It looks to be nothing more than a thin stick to me." Alm pondered her words for a moment. "I think how it works is each of us holds one end of the stick in our mouths. We then have to break the stick and whoever has the bigger half wins, kinda like wishbones I guess." Celica was grinning at the notion of it being a game. "In that case I challenge you Alm to a game of... ch-chocolate stick?"

Alm audibly laughed at her words as he prepped one of the sticks for the game. He presented the other end of the stick to Celica as he held his own end in his teeth smugly. She giggled at his goofy expression as she bit down on the other end, the two young loves staring intensely into eachother's eyes as a faint smile grew on their faces.

The serene moment was interrupted by a nearby voice. "It ain't s'pose to be a starin' contest ya know?" The bartender shouted to them from behind the counter. Celica's head immediately snapped in the direction of the voice, breaking the chocolate stick as she glared daggers at the smartass bartender. She awkwardly turned back to Alm upon realizing she had unknowingly ended the game. In Alm's mouth was a grand majority of the stick, as Celica looked down her nose at her own to barely be able to see the nub she had broken off.

"I guess that makes me the winner!" Alm chuckled to himself as he drew his prize into his mouth. Celica, red with anger and embarrassment at her loss, almost seemed to hiss at Alm as she leapt to tackle him to the ground. As he leaned back up, Alm heartily laughed as Celica stared at him, pouting like an upset puppy. "Even after all these years you're still as hell bent on getting treats as ever." Alm said as he happily handed her the rest of the box.  
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The day went on with a similar track record, Alm and Celica running around the capital searching for exciting new adventures. As the day drew to a close and the sun had long since set to make way for the shimmering stars, they had returned to the Zofian castle. "It seems the Deliverance was able to function without you for a day after all." Celica playfully snickered at him. Alm laughed as they made their way back up the stairs of the castle to the living quarters where Alm had convinced Clive to allow Celica and her friends to stay in.

"Well it seems this is my stop. Thank you for being such a kind gentleman and escorting a fair maiden such as myself to my quarters, Sir Alm." Celica bowed exaggeratedly as she and Alm both laughed with eachother. "But jokes aside, thank you for today Alm. Words can not express how happy I am just to see you again, let alone be with you... like... th-this." Celica had begun choking on her words as she teared up. "Celica is something wrong?! I-I'm sorry did I accidentally upset you?!" Alm begun to panic at her sudden change in demeanor. 

She laughed a pure and genuine laugh at his concerns. "N-No silly! I'm just... very happy. Happier than I've been in years." She wrapped her arms around Alm's waist and laid her head on his shoulder, with Alm following suit, resting his head atop her own as they held eachother tightly with no signs of letting go, as if to make up for all the lost years between them. Unfortunately, they eventually did have to end their embrace, and with one last good night, Celica retreated to her quarters as Alm made his way up to his own room.  
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Celica awoken from her slumber with a raspy scream, it was that same godsforsaken nightmare again. Night after night the image of Alm meeting his fate at the end of a lance haunted her dreams. Tonight it stung all the more considering the day she had, the idea of that sweet hearted boy she loved being struck down while she wasn't there to help him drove her to tears. She was partly thankful the rooms that Clive guy had lent her and her friends were only big enough for one bed so she didn't have to be seen by the others like this. Nonetheless she didn't want to be alone right now, to think of him being alone.

Celica discreetly made her way out of her room and up the stairs so as to not disturb the other residents. Though the darkness made remembering details a bit difficult, she managed to track down the door to Alm's room she had went to the previous morning. She softly knocked on the door, nervous that she would go unheard, Alm always was a heavy sleeper. To her surprise the door was answered quite quickly. Alm's eyes widened at Celica's unexpected appearance.

"Celica..?" Alm whispered. "What are you doing up so late?" He guided her into the room as he quietly spoke. In the moonlight of the room Celica could see Alm's sunken eyes as he could see her tear stained cheeks. "I-I'm sorry to bother you it's just... I had a bad dream, you were there fighting... a-and..." She began tearing up again. "This was stupid and childish of me to come here I'm sorry Alm." She quickly turned to leave when Alm grabbed her arm. "Wait Celica, it's ok. It's ok." He repeated himself calmly to try and ease her worry.

"Y-You look so tired though..." Celica said with a hint of guilt. "Heh... I haven't been getting much sleep lately anyway." He let loose a tired and dark chuckle beneath his breath. "It's been an... intense past few weeks, all things considered." Alm sat back down on his bed, beckoning Celica to sit with him. "But it's fine, after all I quite literally asked for this, and besides, how could I be feeling down after spending the day with you?" He looked to her with a tired but kind smile, she couldn't help but perk up and grin a bit in turn.

"Enough about me though, nightmares are no fun and I'll be damned if I let one hurt the best girl in the world!" Alm spoke with exaggerated bravado despite his tiredness, earning a shy giggle from Celica. "Thank you Alm, I think I'm starting to feel better..." She happily snuggled against him, he felt so warm and comforting to her, like being with him was where she was meant to be. "Alm pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I'm always happy to be there for you Celica." 

"Although..." Alm began scratching the back of his neck shyly. "If it'd help you rest easier you could sleep in here with me. N-Not in THAT kind of way of course!" He was glowing red in the dimly lit room. "J-Just... being together..." Celica was taken aback by his... forwardness, but she smiled softly at his offer. "I... I would like that quite a lot Alm."

The two quickly retreated beneath the covers of the bed, Alm tightly wrapped his arms around Celica as she nuzzled into him. The two drifted off into the most peaceful sleep they had in a long time, a smile upon each of their faces.  
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The sun gleamed through the oversized windows, cascading the regal bedroom in a morning glow. Alm slowly rose as the sun beat down upon his face. He immediately noticed that someone was missing, Celica was always much more of a morning person than him though. As he twisted and stretched to shake the sleepiness off, he caught sight of a note on the stand beside the bed.

"Dearest Alm,  
By the time you are reading this, I will have taken my leave. I apologize for not seeing you off in person, but truth be told I feel that if I were to wait for you to depart, I would not be able to stop myself from coming with you. As much as I would love to spend my days side by side with you once again, I have my own destiny to undertake, as you do yours. This is of course not farewell, not by a long shot. I have no doubt that we will meet again one day once peace has returned to this world. Until that day comes, I will do everything I can to stay in touch. I'll be counting the days until I can see you again, my love and my best friend."  
-Celica

Alm whipped his eyes to keep from sullying the letter. After dressing himself he carefully folded the letter and safely tucked it in his pocket. With newfound determination, Alm made his way to meet with the rest of the Deliverance, thinking to himself. "You won't be the only one counting the days Celica, sounds like the sooner we end this war, the sooner I can be with you again!"  
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On the outskirts of the Zofian capital, Celica and her group had already gotten a head start to their day. Not that everyone was particularly fond of it. "UUUUUUGGGGGHHH GODS CELICA..." Mae groaned as she flopped back and forth with each step. "Why'd ya have to wake us up so early just to be a drama queen with your boyfriend?" Celica happily giggled to herself. "I'm sorry Mae, but it's for the best this way." Saber put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. "Are you sure about this lass? It could be months, maybe even years til you see that boy again? If ever." Celica's happy mood quickly vanished. "I appreciate your realistic perspective Saber, but I truly believe this isn't the end." She shook herself to snap out of the sudden gloom. "But enough of that, let's get going everyone! We've got an Earth Goddess to meet!" As the group picked up the pace, Celica thought to herself. "The sooner we end this war, the sooner I can be with you again..."


End file.
